Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| เกินไป | gəən-bpai | /kɤːn˧.paj˧/ |
| มากไป | mâak-bpai | /maːk̚˥˩.paj˧/ |
In Thai, เกินไป is placed after an adjective or a verb to indicate that the quality or action is excessive.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase เกินไป is composed of เกิน, meaning 'to exceed' and ไป, meaning 'to go'. Together, they function as an adverb meaning 'excessively' or 'too much'.
Which one should you use?
While both เกินไป and มากไป mean 'too much', มากไป focuses on the quantity being too much or too many. In contrast, เกินไป focuses on the action or state exceeding a limit or boundary.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can combine มาก (much/many) with เกินไป (excessively) to create the common phrase มากเกินไป, which is used to emphasize that a quantity is excessively large.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gəən-bpai and the IPA is /kɤːn˧.paj˧/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- Adding เกินไป to a positive word like 'beautiful' can turn a standard compliment into a flirtatious or hyperbolic claim that someone is 'too' perfect to be real.
- When complaining about a person's behavior, เกินไป specifically suggests they have crossed a social boundary or a line of politeness.
- While เกินไป describes exceeding a limit, Thais use the word ล้น to describe something that is 'too much' in the sense of physically overflowing.
Examples in context
- นั่นมากเกินไปThat's too much.This sentence is useful for using เกินไป to state that something is too much.Tatoeba #8675950 by pastelite, translation #31571 by CK
- อย่ากินมากเกินไปDon't eat too much.This sentence is useful for using เกินไป to advise someone not to eat too much.Tatoeba #8669497 by pastelite, translation #324760 by CK
- ผมพูดมากเกินไปไหมAm I talking too much?This sentence is useful for using เกินไป to ask if one is talking too much.Tatoeba #10632619 by Somsak, translation #5825557 by CK
- ลูกค้าคนนี้ต้องการสินค้ามากเกินไปThis customer wants too much of the product.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chonsit and Kanokwan are looking at a dress in a clothing store.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitชุดนี้สีสดเกินไปไหมchut ni si sot koen pai maiIs the color of this dress too bright?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanใช่ค่ะ สีมันแรงเกินไปchai kha si man raeng koen paiYes, the color is too strong.
- ชลสิทธิ์ Cholasitแล้วราคาล่ะ แพงเกินไปหรือเปล่าlaeo racha la phaeng koen pai rue plaoAnd the price, is it too expensive?
- กนกวรรณ Kanokwanไม่หรอกค่ะ ราคาพอดีแล้วmai rok kha racha phodi laeoNo, the price is just right.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “too much” translations and entries เกินไป, มากไป, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
